Pence 'Absolutely' Open to Extension

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Usually you wait until after the first date to propose, but that wasn't the case with Hunter Pence and Giants reporters, who queried the newest San Francisco outfielder about a long-term extension with the team before his first game (a 2-1 loss to the Mets) on Wednesday.

Fortunately, Pence isn't trying to take things slow and said he's "absolutely" open to an extension.

Of course, Pence also understands that there are probably more important things to worry about, given how he's not even a free agent after this year.

"This should be the last thing we should be talking about right now," the outfielder added.

He's right. But it is nice to hear that Pence would be down to hang around San Francisco. He apparently likes the city a lot and you can't blame him for wanting to settle down. He's already been traded twice in his career and hasn't ever been approached about a long-term deal, either because the team he played for was very bad (Houston) or had too much money tied up elsewhere (Philly).

Bruce Bochy also feels like Pence will be a better addition than Carlos Beltran last year, mainly because he's part of the team -- "a Giant" if you will -- instead of a rental.

“The players, the staff, across the board, they know that. He’s on board for next year, too," Bochy said. "It should give you a good feeling knowing he’ll be here next year and there’s no possibility he’ll move on. The guys know that, too. He’s a Giant and he’ll be here awhile.”

Clearly, then, the team's open to an extension with Pence too, should things work out well for the remainder of this year and then in 2013.